Copilot in deadly Florida jet crash identified in reports as 20-year-old
A 20-year-old copilot was among nine people killed when a small jet crashed and exploded in Florida on Sunday, according to US media.
Nathalia Filgueiras, who earned her pilot's licence when she was 17, is reported to have been one of two crew members aboard the Learjet 60 from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it crashed near West Palm Beach.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it would investigate to what extent ice and turbulence may have contributed to the crash, and whether human error played a role.
One man on the ground sustained a leg injury when the aircraft nosedived on to a street near Cresthaven, nine miles (14 km) from President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.
Images from the scene show a large fiery crater in the middle of a residential suburban street.
The debris was scattered across sports fields, businesses and homes in the area, officials told a news conference on Monday, possible evidence that the plane broke up before it hit the ground.
The NTSB confirmed that after the jet took off from Austin, the crew transmitted to air traffic control that they were encountering ice and moderate turbulence.
"We are picking up precipitation, requesting to climb to 37,000 feet if able," the crew said.
NTSB member Tom Chapman said that less than 30 seconds later, the plane began to descend and the crew issued a mayday call.
The transmission then became "unintelligible", he said, adding that: "Sadly, all aboard were lost."
Flight analysis indicates the jet was plummeting hundreds of feet per second before crashing.
In air traffic control audio, a crew member can be heard declaring an emergency, shouting "we are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000ft per minute", before saying, "we are going to crash into the ground".
About 35 seconds after the initial mayday announcement, the last remark from the cockpit appears to be "we're out of time".
Filgueiras's mother, Camila Corteleti, confirmed to US media that her daughter had died in the fireball.
Corteleti told the New York Times: "She loved the freedom. It was completely different seeing the world from the top."
In a 2023 interview with a local news affiliate of CBS News, Filgueiras spoke proudly of receiving her pilot's licence while still a senior in high school.
"I like being different than everyone," she said. "Some people think that it's weird that I can fly planes, but I can't drive a car, I mean I can but, a lot of people think it's funny."
None of the other eight people on board has been identified.
The NTSB said that ice and turbulence were factors in the crash.
Officials are also trying to find out whether a cockpit voice recorder was on board at the time of the crash and if it can be recovered.
The NTSB said determining the probable cause of the crash will be a "lengthy investigatory process".
As part of the investigation, the NTSB is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), representatives from Learjet as well as meteorologists and air traffic control experts.
Recovering the wreckage from the crater on the roadway will be a "daunting challenge", said Timothy Monville, an air safety investigator with the NTSB.
He added that an individual who was in a vehicle near the crash site sustained a leg injury.Unverified footage posted on social media shows what appears to be a dash-camera recording of the moment of the crash.
"When you see that video, it's a jarring thing," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters at a news conference on Sunday. "It's like a missile coming down, and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere."
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the crash as a "horrific tragedy".
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said the crash happened on Military Trail, a six-lane road lined with businesses and restaurants.
Thunderstorms had been reported in the area at the time of the crash.
Trump was at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday morning, and departed from an airport nearby on Air Force One about an hour before the crash.
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